Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Character Spotlight on SNOWBIRD!

A Collection of Alpha Flight's Most Mysterious Inuit Demi-Goddess Snowbird

I discovered Alpha Flight very late in the game. I believe I was in college in the late nineties and I won an eBay auction for the first 50 issues for like ten dollars. I had become a fan of John Byrne through all his Legend titles and realized that he was the man behind Alpha Flight. I loved this series. The characters were interesting and weird, the stories were compelling, and the art was on point. I liked all the characters, but Snowbird always stood out to me. I always leaned towards Sorceress-type characters. Wise, powerful, mysterious, and animal-themed - it's like she was custom-made for me. Snowbird is the daughter of the Inuit Goddess Nelvanna and a mortal man. She is tasked with protecting Canada against the Great Beasts and is mystically bound to Canadian land. She can transform into any native animal, albeit snow-white in color. I always thought she was an odd addition to the team, but she captured my imagination like no other (except maybe Marrina). Let's check out her collection below!

In no particular order...

Marvel's Alpha Flight

Snowbird & Puck

Toy Biz 1998

This Snowbird is the only true action figure in this collection. She has a typical pre-posed body that we saw in most Toy Biz figures of this era, but she looks great and dynamic in that pose, so it's all good.

Her cape seems made a vinyl-like material that is leathery on the back and felty on the inside. It holds its shape well, but it also holds on to the creases inflicted by the packaging.

The cape can be folded down in a simpler flowing-cape look. Her hair helps keep this look in place.

This Snowbird figure comes with a pack-in Puck figure as well as a white Owl and Wolverine, representing Snowbird in animal form.

Love Snowbird and all the original Alphas. Marrina is my favourite, thou shes terribly undersused, and messed up, storyline wise. I always loved how John Byrne explain Marrina's powers, and i hoped the whole elemental/alien on earth would be used more. Instead we had that horrible snake thing, and then she became a teenage rebel out of the blue. I hope one day we gat the whole team in Marvel legends.

I actually don't remember Marinna turning into a teenage rebel. But I tend to read comics based on the artist... so I read all of Byrne, most Mignola, and then a skipped a bunch until Jim Lee around issue 100. I should go back and read them all now though. I would LOVE these characters in Legends form. It would make a great SDCC box some day. But I know characters like Marinna and Talisman would get left out which is a bummer.

Great question. The answer is yes and no. He has one joint at his waist, but it does not aide in posing at all. He has an action feature where his waist moves side-to-side (like 'side bends' in aerobics), but this waist joint is spring loaded so it instantly snaps back and you can make him do a crazy cartwheel thing. It *kinda* works. Thanks for the question!